Taking Chances
by cjhammer
Summary: The mood lightens after a tough day at work...
1. Chapter 1

"That's it?" she asked. "See you tomorrow?" Michelle couldn't believe that after everything that had happend today, Tony had nothing more to say to her than "See you tomorrow".

"No...that's not it..." Tony said, moving from behind his desk. "There's one more thing," he said as he approached her.

"What's that?"

"This," he said, as he took her face in his hands and lowered is lips to hers. A small yelp of surprise escaped from Michelle's throat, but she recovered quickly and put her hands behind his head to pull him closer. Michelle's head spun as Tony used his tongue to part her lips. In spite of the fact that she was fully aware that they were visible to everyone in the office, she found herself unable to break away from him.

She opened her eyes and glanced sidewards. She could see random analysts down on the floor staring at them and whispering. Still, she was unable to fend off Tony's advances. Against her own wishes, her fingers were now tangled in his hair and her tongue was madly circling his. Was he crazy! At least when she'd kissed him, she'd done it in a less conspicuous spot. He was practically putting them on display, and if he kept it up, they were both going to get fired.

Tony's hands had moved from her face to her wasit and Michelle could now see several people standing outside his office watching them. "Why won't he stop!" she thought frantically, though she seemed unable to do so herself. "Who are all these people? And don't they have anything better to do than stand around gawking at us?"

Michelle was almost in a panic and still unable to stop herself from returning Tony's kiss as urgently as he was delivering it. A woman Michelle did not recognize was standing in Tony's office doorway as if waiting patiently for them to finish so she could conduct whatever business she had with him.

"Oh God...and now his phone is ringing! It's probably Chapelle wanting an explanation for what he must surely be viewing on his monitor. My God...why doesn't he answer it?"

Even as Tony ignored the phone and continued his assault on her senses, Michelle coudl sense him slipping away from her. She tried to focus on him, but it was as if he were disintigrating.

Michelle closed her eyes tightly and then opened them again. She was in her bed. And the phone was ringing. "Uggh...such a bonehead," she muttered, cursing herself for forgetting to shut the ringer off. She fumbled for the receiver. "Dessler" she rasped into the mouthpiece.

"Michelle? Did I wake you? I'm so sorry.."

"Tony? Is something wrong? What's happened?"

"No - nothing's wrong. I just wanted to call and check on you, since we didn't really get a chance to talk before you left. I should have waited. I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry. I'll let you go back to sleep."

"No, it's all right. What time is it?"

"It's four. In the afternoon."

"Four! I've been asleep for 6 whole hours after being awake for 30 straight! How could I be so lazy?"

Tony laughed. "Ok...point taken. I should have known better. Really - we can talk later. I'll let you go if you want."

"No - I don't want. I'm glad you called. Did you get any sleep?"

"About as much as you, I think. Apparently, only one of us is able to handle a 24-hour shift without slipping into a coma afterwards."

"Uh huh...must be all your spy training," she said as her eyes drooped closed again.

"Right. Actually, they trained us to stay awake for obnoxiously long periods of time in the Marines."

"Mmmm...sounds fun," Michelle answered, starting to drift off again.

Tony knew he was going to have to make this a quick conversation. "Hey," he said, "I was thinking...if you think you'll be up for it, would you like to go and grab something to eat later? I mean...if I give you a few more hours to sleep?"

"Actually, I would," she said, noticing for the first time the twisted pangs of hunger in her stomach. "I don't even remember when I last ate."

"Ok - pick you up at 8?"

"8:30."

"Perfect. Go back to sleep."

Michelle set her alarm for 7 and rolled back over, hoping to be able to pick up that dream where it left off. Only without the spectators.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony rested his hand on the small of her back as he and Michelle followed the hostess to their table. Michelle found herself deliberately slowing her step just to prolong that connection. They were led to a table in the middle of the room. Wanting something that provided a more complete view of the room, the agent in Tony took over and he pointed to a small table in the corner and asked if they could have that one instead.

Once seated, Tony reached for the wine list and asked Michelle if she cared for any.

"I'd love some, but I'm afraid I'm not very sophisticated when it comes to choosing wine."

"No problem," Tony said. "I have some favorites we can choose from. Why don't we taste a few and then decide on a bottle?"

"Ok," Michelle said uncertainly, "you're going to walk me through this, right?"

Tony laughed. "Don't be intimidated. I'm not some great wine expert. I like to try different things, but I kinda tend to stick to the ones I know I like." When the sommelier appeared, Tony selected 3 white wines for them both to taste.

"OK...let's see what we have here... Let's start with the Sauvignon Blanc," he suggested, swirling the wine in the glass and then lifting it to his nose. "Hmmmm..." he said, taking a sip. He passed the glass to Michelle. "See what you think."

Michelle shifted nervously in her seat. "Ok...I smell it first, right?"

Tony nodded. "What do you smell?"

Michelle felt like she was taking an exam she hadn't prepared for. "Umm...grapes?"

Tony laughed again. "Well, yeah...there's that. I smelled a little bit of tart apple. Try it again and see if you can pick it up."

Michelle put the glass to her nose again and breathed in deeply. "Oh! I see what you mean! I can definitely smell it now. Very interesting."

"Now take a sip."

Michelle complied. "Yep...there's that apple taste. How do they do that?"

Oh, lots of things go into it. I happen to know that this particular vineyard sits on what used to be an apple archard and the grapes grown in the same soil take on some of the flavors that way. There are probably some super secret wine making techniques the wine makers use to enhance the natural flavors as well, but I don't really know much about that."

"Hmm...I think your 'I'm No Expert' speech was a little misleading, Mr. Almeida. You seem pretty knowledgable about this to me."

Tony smiled at her. "Well...I admit I took a class once. Let's just say I consider myself a semi-educated wine lover. How's that?"

"OK - that works for me," Michelle said as she ran the glass under her nose again. "What's next?"

Tony was glad Michelle ws enjoying the impromptu wine seminar. "Let's move to the Voignier next. You first."

Michelle picked up the glass that Tony had nudged in her direction and repeated his swirl, sniff and sip routine. "Hmm...this one is crisper. Tastes citruisy."

"Excellent!" Tony exclaimed. "You're quite the student."

"So this one must have been made with grapes from a vineyard adjacent to an orange grove or something?"

Tony smiled. "I don't know. Maybe. There are all kinds of things wine makers do to bring out certain characteristics of the grapes. My so-called expertise doesn't extend that far," he said, taking a sip.

"OK - Chardonnay. Last one."

Michelle took the Chardonnay from him. "Oh, this one's a lot different," Michelle said. "Smoother - not as light. There's kind of a melon overtone to it. The aftertaste lasts a lot longer than the other two."

"I'm very impressed," Tony said as he reached for the glass. "You seem to be picking this right up."

"Well, I've always been a pretty good student," Michelle said, "but I must admit - this is one of the more enjoyable classes I've ever had. Plus...I find the teacher fascinating.

"Well, it's easy to teach an enthusiastic student," Tony replied. "OK - so...do you have a favorite?"

"Honestly, I really liked them all. If I had to choose, I'd have to say...the Voignier."

"Excellent choice!" Tony enthused. "That's my favorite too!"

"Really?" Michelle beamed.

"It is tonight."

Tony signaled the waiter and ordered a bottle of the Voignier along with the first round of tapas. "Tony, you just ordered without looking at the menu. Something tells me you've been here once or twice before."

"Yeah...once or twice," he laughed. "Actually, Pazo is my favorite restaurant and I really wanted to introduce you to it. I hope you're going to like it."

"Well, so far, it's been an excellent choice."

The sommelier suddenly materialized again and presented the label to Tony. Tony nodded and the man proceeded to open the bottle and pour a small amount into his glass. Tony picked up the glass, held it to his nose and then drank its contents. He nodded again to the sommelier, who then stepped to Michelle's side of the table, pouring a glass for her before doing the same for Tony. He left the bottle on the table and disappeared.

"It's all very ritualistic, isn't it?" Michelle asked.

"It is." Tony agreed. "I don't know where all the customs come from, but they're pretty much the same wherever you go. I don't know - I think it kinda adds to the charm in a way, but I also think it's one of the reasons people get so intimidated by the whole process. Personally, I think you just gotta go with what you like."

"Hmmm...go with what you like," Michelle repeated as she simultaneously took a sip of her wine and raised her eyebrows at him. "Excellent philosophy."

The subtle double-entendre wasn't lost on Tony. He leaned toward her and grinned, "I know I haven't said so yet, but you look absolutely stunning tonight."

"Really," she smiled, "I wasn't sure if you'd noticed."

"Oh...believe me," Tony said, reaching for her hand, "I noticed."

Michelle's stomach flipped as his hand came to rest on top of hers. Tony's stomach did the same when she began tracing circles on the back of his hand. Her touch on his skin ws electric, and he thought that if he didn't lean over and kiss her right now, he'd short circuit. He hesitantly started toward her, and just a fraction of a second earlier, he'd have reached his target. Unfortunately, the slight hesitation gave the waiter just enough time to appear with their tapas.

Michelle and Tony reluctantly broke apart as the waiter put the platters on the table.

"Wow - this all looks fantastic," Michelle said. "Let me guess...all your favorites?"

"Yep. Most of them, anyway. I hope you'll like them. I think I've had pretty much everything on the menu at least once, but these are the ones I order most often."

As they started eating, the conversation turned to the previous day. "Did you get your brother taken care of?" Tony asked.

"Well, yes and no. I got him home, but he's still pretty upset." She shrugged slightly at the understatement. "Actually, 'upset' isn't really the right word. He's pretty much a mess. And so was his apartment. I cleaned up a little for him and then tried to talk to him. He's just despondent and I have no idea how to help him. Carrie really did a number on him. It was almost a year ago that all that happened and he just doesn't seem to be able to get past it. I don't know what to do. Nothing I do or say seems to help him fix his life. It's really frustrating."

"Michelle," Tony started, "I don't think you should expect to be able to fix his life for him. He's a grown man. I mean...he's made mistakes, but you're right - they're not the end of the world. He has to be the one to decide that his life is worth living, though. It has to come from him. You can't be expected to restore his purpose in life for him. I think it's great that you love him so much and want to help him, but the majority of the effort has to come from him - not you."

"I know all that," she replied, "It's one of thse things that you know in your head, but you have trouble getting your heart to accept, I guess."

Tony reached for the Voignier and filled their glasses again. "I know what you mean. I'm sure it means the world to him that you're there to support him, but if you let him lean on you too much, he'll never dig himself out of it. I know that sounds harsh, but I think it's true."

"You're right. I try not to enable him, but I think I probably do sometimes. I just want him to be happy again like he was before. I want his kids to have their dad back. This has been so hard on them. If nothing else, I want him to be able to be a dad to them again."

"I'm sure he will be Michelle. It may take some time, but I'm sure he'll figure it out. Just don't beat yourself up over it in the meantime."

"Ugggh," she said, wanting to focus on something a little less heavy "Enough of this topic. Are you from here originally?

Tony shifted gears. "Nope. Born and reared in Chicago. Moved to California to go to college and then joined the Marines. Was in the Corps for 11 years and I've been with CTU for the past 4."

"Ahhh," Michelle said as she made the connection, "Chicago...the Cubs mug... I should have known. I'm an Orioles fan myself - so we won't have to worry about trash talking each other unless they both make it to the World Series."

Tony laughed. "Which, if recent performance is any indication, we'll probably never have to worry about."

"Right. Moot point," she grinned.

"So what about you? How did you end up here?"

"I grew up in San Diego, actually. My parents and sisters are still there. After I graduated, I applied at CTU on a lark, and was really surprised when they wanted to hire me. The rest is history, I guess."

"I don't know why you'd be surprised. You're smart, conscientious, creative, and very good at what you do."

It was Michelle's turn to laugh. "Is that my boss talking? I was hoping he wasn't going to show up tonight."

"Naah...he's not here. You won't be seeing him until tomorrow."

They'd finished everything on the table by this time, and the Voignier as well. They decided to forgo a second round of tapas, since they had gotten a fairly late start and they both had to be in the office early.

Michelle briefly considered fighting over the bill with him, but instead asked if he'd mind if she left the tip. Tony agreed. As they left the restaurant, Michelle slipped her hand into his and his stomach flipped again.

His stomach was still flipping as they approached her door. She, on the other hand, seemed perfectly calm and cool to him. "At least my palms aren't sweating," he thought.

"Tonight was really nice, Tony. Thanks so much for dinner, and of course the wine lesson. I love a nice, educational date."

Tony laughed. "Good! I'm glad you enjoyed everything. I had a great time too." As he spoke, he grabbed both of her hands and pulled her gently toward him. He intertwined his fingers with hers and leaned down and kissed her softly.

Michelle felt as though her heart would pound right through her chest. "Wow..." she said, not really meaning to speak it aloud.

"Uh huh..." Tony said, his lips still hovering near hers.

Michelle moved closer and reached up and kissed him back, with slightly more force than he had used. She slipped her tongue gently into his mouth, and was rewarded with a soft groan from him.

Tony was the first to pull away. "'Wow' is right," he grinned. "I think I need to go before I get carried away," he said as he took the keys from Michelle's hand. When had she taken her keys out? How did he not even notice her doing that? He reached past her and unlocked her door for her. "I'll see you in the morning, Michelle. Sweet dreams."

"Good night, Tony," she said stepping through the door. She stood in the open doorway watching as he got into his car and drove away. Exhaling as she closed the door, she locked it and leaned back against it.

Sweet dreams, indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony arrived at the office a good hour earlier than he usually did. He was still walking on air thinking about his date with Michelle the night before. It had been a long time since he'd let himself feel this way about anyone, and if he were honest with himself, he'd admit that it was scaring the hell out of him. She'd already invaded his thoughts so completely that he could barely concentrate on anything else, and they'd only gone out once.

"_Come on, Almeida, focus,"_ he thought to himself as he started reading the brief on his desk for about the 6th time. _"This is important. Try to get at least something done before she gets here and makes it totally impossible."_

The brief concerned a routine murder investigation that at first glance, didn't even seem like it was something CTU should be involved in. There were some red flag items, though, so Tony wanted to put together a list of things for his team to examine before they decided it was really a matter for LAPD or the FBI. He was finally starting to make some headway when he glanced up and saw her coming in the door.

He grinned to himself, thinking he'd wait a good 10 minutes before picking up the phone and dialing her extension. _"No need to apear over-anxious,"_ he thought, although that's exactly what he was. At about 90 seconds, he decided he couldn't stand it any longer and he called.

Michelle smiled to herself when she saw who was calling. She picked up the phone and tried not to sound as excited as she felt. "Dessler..."

"Hey," he said, his heart rate quickening at the sound of her voice.

"Couldn't even wait for me to get my system turned on, could you?"

"No," he laughed, "I couldn't. But just so you don't think I'm stalking you, I do have some actual work-related things to discuss with you. Do you think you could come up here when you get a chance?"

"Yeah - I just need to start the morning report cycle, so...15 minutes?"

"That'll work. Thanks."

Tony returned to the stack of paper on his desk and began analyzing the data he'd received so far, trying to determine where the gaps in the information were. Exactly 15 minutes later, Michelle was at his door.

"Hey," she said, "what's going on?"

"Not sure yet. I have this report that came over from LAPD. It looks like a double murder, but there are some things that look suspiciously like they could be connected to some possible terrorist activity. The victims were a married couple in their mid 40s - both shot in the back of the head execution-style while they slept."

"Doesn't sound like anything we should be involved in so far," Michelle said, "what else?"

"Well, LAPD confiscated their computerand found a whole set of encrypted files. Both victims worked in low-level office jobs - cubicle dwellers. There doesn't seem to be any job-related reason for them to have to encrypt their personal files. LAPD sent it to their lab and found it too sophisticated an encryption for them to be able to take apart. So...they sent it up here to have us cross reference it with our database and see if we can come up with anything."

"Seems like kind of a long-shot, doesn't it?" Michelle asked. "I mean...there's not much there to specifically suggest any terror related activity."

"Not on the surface, no," Tony replied. "But the complexity of the encryption is what concerns us. No one would be using something this advanced for their personal files. It may even be beyond what is usually used for corporate or industrial purposes."

Michelle perused the brief and nodded.

"So, I need you to log onto the Delta server and run these files through it," he said, handing her the disk. "See if you can decrypt them and put together any kind of connection between them and anything in the database."

"No problem," she said, purposely letting her fingertips graze his as she took the disk from him.

"I'm going to run the couple through the database and see if I can come up with anything. Let's touch base at about...lunchtime?" he said, grinning at her.

"Right," she laughed, "decryption by lunchtime. No problem. It doesn't seem like dating the boss is going to get me any breaks, huh?"

"Well, maybe not professionally, but you never know...there may be some other hidden perks..."

"Hmm...that sounds promising," she smiled, "I'll see what I can do."

Michelle left his office determined to keep her mind on the task at hand instead of the man she had just left. _"This is already getting difficult,"_ she thought. She'd barely been able to concentrate on the information he was giving her. _"Focus, Dessler,"_ she told herself, _"this is important. You can have your little 'Tony' fantasy later."_


	4. Chapter 4

Tony threw the brief down on his deskand sat back in his chair, mulling the information he'd just uncovered. The bodies of Dan and Susan Gladwell had been found approximately 24-36 hours after their brains had been blown all over their headboard. There was no sign of forced entry or robbery. Cash, credit cards, checkbooks...all left in the house. The only thing that was missing was the couple's desktop computer. Dan Gladwell's laptop had been found in the trunk of his car, and was at this moment in the posession of CTU.

"Tony?" He looked up to see Carrie at his office door. "I have the bank statements you ordered."

"Thanks, Carrie," he said crossing the room and taking them from her.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about yesterday, Tony, I was just trying to..."

"I know what you were trying to do, Carrie," he spat. "You were doing everything you could to undermine my authority and position yourself for a promotion. When you couldn't extort it out of me, you decided to suck up to Chappelle so he'd make it impossible for me to do my job."

"But you were helping Jack, and Chappelle specifically..."

"Save it, Carrie. You backed the wrong horse this time. As soon as I can get someone in here to replace you, you'll be reassigned. Do your job while you're here and stay out of my way so I can do mine."

He turned around and walked back to his desk. "Unless you have anything further, you can go," he said to her.

Tony picked up the statements. A search of the couple's bank records had turned up a series of ten thousand dollar deposits made by wire transfer over the last 2 years. The deposits had come from a Swiss account, with no way to trace their origin, but Tony's spine stiffened at the contents of the latest report he'd been handed. Each deposit had been made within 2-5 days of major terror attacks in Rome, Paris and Western Africa.

He picked up the phone and dialed the extension for Tech 2. Michelle answered, "Dessler."

"Hey Michelle - it's Tony. Do you have anything for me?"

"Yeah - you were right about the encryption. It was very complex, but we were able to get through it. Do you want to comeand take a look?"

"Yeah - I have some interesting news too. Do you have plans for lunch?"

Michelle looked at the clock, not realizing she'd worked right through the lunch hour. "Uhhh...no - I was just going to grab something out of the vending machine."

"Ohhh...a health nut, are you?"

Michelle laughed. "There are granola bars in the vending machine, Mr. Sarcasm..."

"Nahh...forget the granola. I brought in some pasta that I made the other nightand there's way more than I need to be eating."

"Even better. Conference room?" she asked.

"10 minutes."

20 minutes later Tony & Michelle had the conference room table covered with various documents and were trying to piece together the information that each of them had discovered.

"Here's what we found on the laptop," Michelle began. "The files contain information on several different types of installations. California National Guard facilities, the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles, and several synagogues. They list locations, personnel information, hours of operation, as well as floor plans and building schematics." Michelle produced paper copies of maps and blueprints to emphasize the scope of her findings.

Tony scrutinized the copies.

"And look at this," she continued. There were also files containing the same type of information on the locations in Rome, Paris, and West Africa."

Tony leaned on his elbows and pinched his lower lip.

"Michelle...this is a target list."

"Bingo," she said. "But what were the Gladwells doing with this list?

"Good question," Tony said, leaning back in his chair with his hands over his eyes. "They had no history of political or terrorist activity of any kind. It's looking like someone was using them as some kind of conduit to deliver information from one person to another. They probably didn't even know what they were delivering."

Michelle considered this for a moment, then said. "Or maybe they figured it out, and that's why they were killed."

"Right. Listen, can you write this upand get it over to Chappelle? I'm going to brief Simmons and send him over to the Gladwells' neighborhood to ask some questions. The next thing we'll need to do is take a look at those attacks in Europe and Africa and see what kind of progress has been made on finding who ordered them."

"I can do that," Michelle said.

"Tell you what...why don't you have Carrie do it. It'll be nice and time consuming, thus keeping her out of your hair, and it will also make it possible for you to leave on time for a change."

Michelle grinned at him. "Excellent plan," she said.

Tony decided to change the subject. "So", he said, finally taking a bite of his pasta, "big plans for this evening?"

"Yes...big, BIG plans," she replied. "It's pizza and laundry night at my house."

"Ahhh...that does sound like a lot of fun," he laughed.

Twirling some noodles around her fork, she asked, "You wanna come over and keep me company?"

Tony smiled at her. "Are you offering to do my laundry?"

"Uhhh...no. Nice try. I'll share my pizza with you, though."

"Well..I can't pass up an offer like that, can I?"

"I hope not."


	5. Chapter 5

Michelle leaned back against the arm of the couch and propped the brief up against her bent knees. _Concentrate, Dessler - see if you can't get through this report before he gets here. _Her mind immediately drifted to Tony and the way his muscular thighs strained against those black slacks he'd worn to work today. "Tsk..." she exhaled in frustration and let her head drop back.

"It's useless," she muttered, tossing the brief onto the coffee table. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what the coming evening would be like. _What I'd like it to be like, _she thought,_ and what it will probably turn out to be like are highly likely to be two different things. _

Although Tony had initated their first date and a kiss later that evening, she still sensed some hesitation on is part. She was pretty sure that there was some sincere interest on his part, but sometimes it seemed that he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to pursue what they had barely started. Small things - he'd subtly back away from an incidental touch at work, or he'd send Chloe over with a message for her rather than telling her himself.

_Maybe he's just trying to be discrete at work, _she told herselfActually, there could be any number of reasons he was hesitant. The appearance of impropriety was just one. He was her boss, after all. It was actually pretty risky for both of them to even be considering what they seemed to be considering_. If things fall through, we'd still have to face each other each day and be able to perform our jobs seamlessly_. She shifted on the couch and propped her legs up on the coffee table. _And maybe I'm getting too far head of myself, _she mentally chided

Nina was the other major hurdle. Michelle tried to imagine what it would feel like to be betrayed like that by someone you cared about. She couldn't. She thought back to her own relationships in the past and tried to think of them in that light. No question. She'd have been devestated. _How long would it take to get past something like that? How long before you could let yourself trust again? _She was at a loss.

She tried to block out the "helpful" suggestion her sister had offered. "Maybe he's just not that into you,"she'd hintedShe didn't even want to consider that as a possibility. Besides, he'd given her too many indications that the opposite was true. Just not enough to make her absolutely sure_. Maybe he's just shy. I could certainly help him with that_, she thought hopefully.

There was no question on Michelle's part. She was crazy about him. She'd known it for quite a while. She just wished she could be sure they were on the same page. _Hell, if I knew we were reading the same book , I'd be happy,_ she told herself. _For now, anyway._

She was just in the middle of resolving to back off a little and let Tony set the pace when the phone rang. Her stomach sank a little at the thought that it might be Tony calling to cancel.

She almost wished it were. Instead, it was Danny needing to rant.

Tony had been vascillating all afternoon between excitement of spending some quiet time with Michelle, and sheer terror at the feelings she was stirring within him. He'd tried to deny it for some time, but it was getting to the point where he couldn't ignore it any longer.

_Nina. She totally fucked me up_, he admonished himself. _How could I have been fooled by her?_ Looking back on that "relationship" now, Tony could see all kinds of telltale signs that she'd been using him. Her relative indifference to him was glaringly obvious at the distance of a couple years. She'd been unimpressed by his romantic gestures - no matter how small or grand. She had little interest in learning anything about him. She barely noticed when other women flirted with him. Initially, he'd attributed it to her still being hung up on Jack. Then he'd figured it was just her aloof personality. Now he knew better.

As he turned the key in the ignition, he realized that while Nina was the major problem, she was only part of it. There was work, too. Technically, he was Michelle's boss & things like this had ways of blowing up in people's faces. He was already finding it very difficult to keep his mind on his job when she was around. _Oh - who am I kidding...I can't concentrate on anything even when she's not around_, he thought. _But what if things end badly? How would we be able to do our jobs? _

On the other hand - what if things didn't end? Tony made the decision right then and there that he had to figure a way past his own hangups and see what there could be between him and Michelle. _Screw it. It's not against the rules. We can see each other if we want._ Tony knew it was what he wanted. Now it was just a matter of getting his mind to accept what his heart already knew.


	6. Chapter 6

Tony paced back and forth in front of Michelle's door. _Ok - keep it light tonight. Just a pleasant evening ...show off your sterling wit and charm...and for God's sake, keep your hands off her. _ He stopped in front of the door, ran his hand through his hair, took a deep breath and rang the bell.

"No, Danny - please don't ask me to do that. I'm not comfortable with it."

"Please, Michelle," her brother pleaded, "she won't listen to me."

"Danny, this isn't something I can do for you," she said, remembering Tony's advice from the previous evening. "If she doesn't want to talk to you, there's nothing I can do to force her into it."

Michelle held the phone away from her ear in frustration as her brother continued to implore her on the other end of the line to speak to his wife on his behalf. While she was avoiding his entreaties, the door bell rang. Danny either didn't hear it or he didn't care and kept up his increasingly hysterical rambling.

Phone to her ear, Michelle opened the door and motioned Tony in.

Tony was instantly grateful that she'd had the phone in her hand, because the second he saw her his immediate desire was to grab her and pin her up against the wall and kiss her the way she'd kissed him in the hallway at CTU. _How the hell can she make khaki shorts and a tank top look so damn hot?_

Instead, he followed her into the kitchen, where she retrieved a beer from the refrigerator, opened it, and handed it to him. Covering the mouthpiece, she said, "Sorry...it's my brother. I'll wrap it up as quick as I can."

Tony nodded, "No problem. Take your time. I'm just going to put this in the freezer," he said, waving the quart of butter pecan ice cream he'd picked up on the way over.

Michelle's eyes widened, _YAY! _she silently mouthed to him

Tony laughed and sauntered off to the living room with his beer and began to peruse Michelle's cd collection.

Michelle reached into the refrigerator, grabbed another beer for herself, and turned her attention back to her brother's babbling about how he'd screwed up his life. She'd interject an "uh-huh" or an "I know" whenever he paused to take a breath, just so he'd know she was still paying attention...which she hadn't been since the second the doorbell rang.

Tony sat on the floor in front of the stereo in something of a daze. "Showtunes," he muttered. "Good God...anything but showtunes..." And just when he got past the showtunes section of Michelle's collection and into the Barry Manilow section, he wished he'd been more specific when he'd said "anything but showtunes". _At least there's no Celine Dion_, he thought, truly frightened that the Celine collection might be gracing the cd player in Michelle's car. He quickly scanned the rest of the discs hoping for something audially palatable. "Ah! James Taylor!" _Maybe there is some hope for her after all_, he thought as he slid the disc into the player and turned the volume down low.

"Hey," Michelle said as she walked into the room. "I'm really sorry about that."

Tony moved from the stereo and sat down on the couch. "Everything ok?" he asked.

"Yeah - he just gets in these moods and there's no shutting him up. He wants me to talk to his wife for him and I really _really_ don't want to be the go-between."

"Michelle, there's no reason for you to be put in the middle of it like that. It's not fair of him to expect that of you."

She plopped down next to him. "I know - and I told him that. I'm trying to take your advice and see if I can't get him to take more responsibility for the situation. The whole thing is just so emotionally draining and it's wearing me out."

"I'm sorry, Michelle. I'm sure he doesn't realize how all this is affecting you, or he'd back off. Is there anything I can do? Want me to rough him up some?"

"No," she laughed, "I don't think that'll be necessary." Let's change the subject, though.

"What did you have in mind?" he slyly asked.

"The same thing I've had in mind all day," she said, sliding closer to him and blocking out her earlier resolution to slow down and let him set the pace.

Tony grinned at her as she leaned in to kiss him, completely ignoring his self-directive of earlier to keep his hands to himself tonight.

As their lips touched, Tony moved his hands to her face and pulled her to him. Michelle leaned into him, forcing him gently back against the arm of the couch. She raked her hands through his hair and softly probed his mouth with her tongue. Tony reciprocated and circled her waist with his arms.

"You've had that on your mind all day?" he panted when the kiss broke.

"All day," she murmered, brushing her cheek against his.

"Well, If I'd have known you were so preoccupied with such a pressing matter, I'd have called a private meeting."

"Oh..._that_ would have gone over well," she rolled her eyes as she leaned back against the couch and took another swallow of her beer.

"Yeah - no sense pushing things, huh?" Tony asked as he began to remember his promise to himself.

"Right. Wouldn't want Chapelle's head to explode, would we?"

Tony laughed. "Speak for yourself."

"And speaking of Mr. Personality, did you get a chance to go over my report with him?"

"I did," Tony said. "He was impressed. And get this - he told me to send someone over to interview the neighbors and to put someone else to work on the attacks in Europe and Africa."

Michelle laughed, remembering that Tony had already done exactly that. "Damn...I bet you wish you'd have thought of all that, huh?"

"Yeah...well - that's why they pay him the big bucks, I guess. He did also suggest that we send the laptop to the tech lab to see if there's any more data to be found on it. I hadn't thought of that, but it's a good idea."

"Ohhh...it's irritating when Chapelle's right, isn't it?"

"God, I hate it," Tony said, shaking his head and laughing.

The doorbell rang again. This time, Michelle knew it was the pizza. "I took the liberty of ordering for you. I hope you don't mind," she said, grabbing her checkbook and heading for the door.

"No - I'm not picky. I'll pretty much eat any kind of pizza."

"Good - I got my favorite - shrimp and onion pesto."

Tony forced a smile onto his face. "Umm...ok...well, I've never had that before, but it sounds great, he said, a little too enthusiastically.

"Relax, Almeida. I'm kidding," she giggled. "I can spot a pepperoni man a mile away."

"Thank God," he muttered. "I'm sorry, but shrimp just does not belong on pizza."

As Michelle paid the delivery man, she noted that Tony definitely did not seem to be sending any mixed signals tonight. _He's definitely interested_. Still, she thought it best not to be to aggressive. There really were all kinds of complications and neither one of them should be too hasty about jumping into anything.

They got through half of the pizza. Michelle had ordered one large enough to feed a family of six. Since she didn't cook, she wanted to have some leftover for lunch the next day. While she was off putting clothes in the dryer, Tony rummaged through the kitchen cabinets and drawers looking for bowls and spoons for dessert. He then proceeded to serve them each two perfectly formed scoops of the butter pecan.

"Ice cream!" she exclaimed as she came back into the room. "Good call, Almeida." She took the bowl from him and led him back into the living room.

"Hey, Michelle, Tony figited. "Do you mind if I ask you something kind of serious?"

_Uh-oh...here it comes,_ she thought. "Umm...I guess not..." she replied.

"Well...I was just wondering...and you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, I can understand that it's something that you might be embarrassed to talk about..."

_Oh God_...her stomach was starting to knot...

"What's with all the showtunes?" he asked. "You've got the soundtrack for every musical written in the last 40 years over there..."

Michelle gaped in mock offense. "Hey!" she practically yelled, "Do NOT be ridiculing my taste in music. I happen to enjoy the musical theater a great deal. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a god, in my book. The man is a genius."

"OK, well, I'd just like to go on the record saying that from now on, whenever we go anywhere together, we'll be taking my car, because I don't think I can take "Evita" in such close quarters."

"Oh don't worry - I always listen to Celine Dion in the car...I'm too loud for the neighbors when I sing along with her, so I have to confine it to the car."

Tony groaned inwardly, making a mental note to go cd shopping for her.

Michelle sat on the couch with another beer while Tony, at his insistence, put the dinner dishes in the dishwasher. She thought he was just being overly polite, but he actually wanted to take just a few minutes to remind himself of his earlier resolution. He should finish up here and then make his exit.

"All done?" she asked when he came back.

"Yeah - there were only a few," he said, as he lifted her legs and slid in underneath them. _STOP!_ He screamed to himself. _Almeida...you're going to get yourself into a lot of trouble here if you're not careful..._

Michelle stared at him with wide eyes_. Ok..that's a positive sign_, she thought. _He wouldn't be draping my legs across his lap if he wasn't at least a little interested, would he?_ She felt a little flutter in her stomach as she took another drink. _And he wouldn't be stroking them like that if he was trying to discourage my attention, would he?_ Her breath began to quicken as she set the beer on the coffee table. _And he wouldnt be running his fingers under the hem of my shorts if he didn't want tme to get the wrong idea, would he?_

As his eyes met hers, she moved away from the arm of the couch and in his direction. Tony followed her lead and leaned toward her until their lips met.The kiss started softly and quickly gained intensity. Tony's fingers were still lightly brushing Michelle's thighs, and she could not surpress a soft moan at the sensation. Encouraged by her response, Tony deepend the kiss, and leaned his upper body into hers. He moved one handbehind her head and pulled her closer to himAs thekiss began to become frantic, Tony heard the faint voice in his head again. _Hands off! _He groaned and pulled away from her slightly.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked breathing erratically.

"Nothing's wrong, I just ...I think we need to stop..."he said.

"Oh, I thought you...I mean we..I thought we..."

"Michelle, it's not you. It's me. I just can't do this right now...I mean...not yet."

"Ok...well - do you want to tell me why?"

"I can't. Not now." How could he tell her that every time he started to get close to her Nina got in the way? _Well, not Nina exactly, but the after-effects of Nina. _He couldn't insult her like that.

"I should go," he said abruptly.

Michelle tried to hide her hurt feelings. "All right, then," she said, determined not to let him see her bewilderment.

"Michelle, I'm sorry, I just...the evening has kinda gotten away from me and I need to go in to work early tomorrow. Thanks so much for dinner - I had a great time."

"Yeah - I can tell," she said, unable to hide her irritation.

"Really...I mean it," he said taking her hand as he walked toward the door. "Thanks for inviting me over. Next time, we'll do it at my place and I'll cook, ok?"

She smiled slightly and nodded, still too confused to decide if she should be hurt or pissed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he told her, and pressed a kiss into her forehead.

_What the hell?_ she thought as she closed the door behind him. She shook her head in utter confusion. She had definitely not expected the evening to end like that.

_Very smooth, Almeida,_ Tony thought to himself as he idled at the stoplight at the end of Michelle's street. _You're going to be lucky if she gives you the time of day from here on out. _Tony felt dazed._ What the hell is your problem? _ He should call her right now. _And say what? "Sorry, Michelle, but I can barely control myself around you, so I had to run out on you like some scared teenager."_ "Dammit," he said aloud as he pulled into his driveway_. I've got to find a way to resolve this._

Michelle lay in her bed wide awake, unable to sleep. She replayed the evening over and over in her mind, analyzing every word...and every kiss. _He definitely initiated that last one...I'm not imagining that. _So why would he do that if he wasn't interested in pursuing anything with her? _He practically bolted out of here_. She was nearly certain that Tony was as attracted to her as she was to him. _But if he's really bothered by the work situation or the Nina thing,_ _why would he even be here?_

Exasperated, and still slightly irritated, Michelle roughly fluffed her pillow up and went back to trying to force herself to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Michelle hadn't seen Tony all day and she was beginning to think he was avoiding her. She started her regular routine as soon as she got in, and then went to see Carrie about any results she'd found on the bombings in Europe and Africa. Most of her morning and afternoon had been spent going over Carrie's findings.

As much as she disliked the woman, Michelle had to admit she knew what she was doing. She'd not only done the research, but she'd cross-referenced several suspects with CTU's database to find any matches and any connection with the murder victims. Michelle was following up on a couple leads that Carrie's results had produced when she finally caught a glimpse of Tony climbing the stairs to his office.

She exhaled and sat back in her chair, wondering if she should call him or leave him alone, when the phone rang. It was Tony.

"Hey Michelle, it's Tony."

"Hey."

"How's your day going?" _Jesus, Almeida - could you be any more lame?_

"It's going fine," Michelle answered in a tone she hoped conveyed that she was not in the mood for small talk.

Taking the hint, Tony continued. "Ok - listen, I have some things to go over with you. Can you come up?"

"Yeah - I'll be right there."

Tony glanced over the report from the tech lab, barely able to believe what he was reading. He felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.

"Hey," he said when she entered his office. "Have you been working on the Gladwell stuff today?"

"Yeah, we've gotten a few leads we're working on, but none of them really seems to be going anywhere."

Tony tossed the report down on his desk. "Well, don't expect them to. The laptop was a plant. The information was phony and..." he hesitated, unsure of how to tell her the rest. "There was a bomb rigged to it."

"What!"

"Fortunately, the detonator malfunctioned," he finished quietly.

It took Michelle a moment to find words. "Tony, I spent the better part of yesterday morning working on that thing. I could have been killed."

"I know." Tony felt sick.

Michelle was speechless.

"We think it was some sort of decoy," Tony continued. Neither of the Gladwells' fingerprints were found on it, so it looks like it wasn't their's after all. We believe the real data was on the desktop that was stolen and we were suposed to find the laptop and go off on some wild goose chase."

Michelle felt dazed. "So we were supposed to be distracted, but from what?"

"We don't know yet," Tony admitted. "Listen, I know this is pretty upsetting. Why don't you go home? We don't have a lot to go on with this and the day is almost over anyway."

"I'm fine, Tony. I don't need to go home. You can't send me home just because you don't want to be around me," she snapped.

She couldn't have stunned Tony more if she'd have slapped him across the face.

"That's not the case," he said softly. "Although, I can see why you feel that way."

She crossed her arms and stared at the floor.

"Michelle," he said as she turned to go, "Listen...I owe you an explanation about last night. I know you're probably mad at me and I don't blame you, but will you please give me a chance to explain?"

"I'm not mad, Tony," she said turning around. "I'm just really confused and a little frustrated." Looking over her shoulder to make sure no one could overhear her, she continued, "I mean, one minute you're all over me and the next you're bolting out the door..."

"I know," he interrupted. "I know it looks like that, but there's more to it and I need to tell you about it. Will you see me tonight? Your place, my place, someplace neutral, I don't care. I just need to talk to you."

Not ready to throw in the towel by any means, Michelle said, "All right - why don't you just come by my place when you finish up here?"

"I will. Thanks, Michelle."

She nooded and left the office, leaving Tony to marvel at how he'd manged to screw things up before they'd even gotten started.

Michelle heated up a slice of leftover pizza and was just finishing it when Tony got there. She'd already decided to drop the attitude and give him the benefit of the doubt. She let him in and offered him a beer, which he accepted. She took his hand and led him into the living room pulling him down onto the couch with her. "Talk to me."

Tony laughed a little at her directness, and felt a little twinge of gratitude that he didn't have to find a way to start the conversation.

"First, I want to apologize for running out of here last night. Michelle, I know I've been sending you mixed signals and I'm so sorry. I haven't meant to. I do have some conflicting feelings, but not about you. I think you're beautiful, intelligent, funny and compassionate and I am so crazy about you that I can't see straight."

Michelle's heart swelled at Tony's confession. "So what's the problem?" she asked softly.

Tony hesitated. This was harder than he'd imagined it would be. "Well, the whole thing with Nina," he started, "It's no secret what happened there. The problem is - I've never dealt with it. I've blocked the whole thing out and in the process I've put up this wall around myself and blocked everyone else out too. I've worked hard at convincing myself that I didn't need anyone and I haven't let myself get close to or trust anyone since that day. And now here you are. Someone I am so attracted to and care so much about and I don't know how to let you in."

"Tony...I'm not Nina."

Tony took a breath and nervously continued. "I know you're not and my problem isn't with you at all. It's with me. The whole thing completely undermined my self-confidence. I don't know how to trust my own judgement any more. I mean...I had complete faith in Nina and look what happened. When her treason was exposed, it was like I'd been hit by a freight train...and then I shut down. I know that I need to come to terms with all that has happened and I just need a little time to do that."

"Did you love her?" Michelle asked, not really sure if she wanted the answer to that question.

"Yes. I've tried to deny it since then, but the truth is, I did. And I tried to convince myself that she loved me too. Obviously, she didn't, but at the time, I was under the happy illusion that she did."

"Ok. I understand now. I appreciate your honesty, Tony. Thank you. And if I can take a minute to be honest too, I have some reservations as well. You know...in situations like this, if things fall apart, it's not usually the boss who gets reassigned to Omaha."

Tony laughed. "No - I suppose not. So...it looks like we're both taking a chance here."

Michelle nodded. "Thanks for telling me," she said caressing his arm. "I know it wasn't easy for you."

"Well, it's not like I could put it off any longer." He shook his head. "Not after last night. Believe me, Michelle, I wanted nothing more than to make love to you last night, but it wouldn't be fair to you to take that step with all this stuff still hanging over me. I just need some time to get rid of it. Can you give me that?"

"Tony," she said, "I haven't been interested in anyone else since the day I met you. I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," he smiled, and then turned serious again. "I'm glad you're not disappointed."

"Oh...don't get me wrong," she grinned, "I'm plenty disappointed. But I'm sure you'll find a way to make it up to me."

"Yeah...I'll come up with something..." he laughed.

"So...can I still kiss you?"

"Are you kidding me?" He pulled her to him and pressed a slow, breathless kiss to her mouth.

"You're going to let me know when this is all resolved, right?"

"Believe me, sweetheart, you'll be the first to know," he said, continuing the kiss.

"Oh God, Almeida, this is going to kill me..."


	8. Chapter 8

Michelle pulled the oars silently into her body and propelled herself backwards through the water. The breeze blew gently against her sweat-covered back creating a slight chill. She loved the grace and tranquility of these early morning rows - the rhythmic splashing of the oars in the water calmed her as she pushed her racing shell through the mist coming off of Alamitos Bay.

She had been a member of the women's varsity crew in college, and had been recruited in her senior year by the US National team. She won a spot on the US crew and had trained with them for only six months when she got the job at CTU. She did her best to pay sufficient attention to both her sport and her career, but each was so demanding that it was impossible to do them both at the same time. She had to choose one or the other, and the US crew went on to the Olympics without her.

Now instead of rowing as part of a crew, where every movement was meticulously timed and coordinated with those of seven other rowers, she focused on the art of the single scull - just her and the boat. The freedom and solitude it provided stood in stark contrast to her job where she was often part of the chaotic synchronization of dozens of different people and events simultaneously.

She craved the peaceful sanctuary she could only find on the water.

The quiet time alone gave her the opportunity to think - something not always possible during the rest of her day. This morning, her head swirled with preoccupation surrounding yesterday's events. "I could have been killed," she'd told Tony when she'd found out about the bomb. Although she'd been able to ignore it at work for the most part, the near miss scared the hell out of her.

As she finished her 3rd mile and turned around to head back to the dock, her thoughts turned to Tony. She had no doubt that she was falling in love with him. She had been sure of it for months, but had tried to hold her feelings in check. Only the recent reluctant admissions to each other of their true feelings and their recent surge in social contact had seemed to speed up the process.

She was equally sure that she had to give him space to work through his issues...or...issue, to put it more accurately. He cared about her. She was very certain of that now. What she wasn't sure of was what her part should be in Tony's soul-searching - or if she should have a part in it at all.

Tony hung up the phone and rubbed his throbbing head in frustration. _Why does Chapelle always have to act like such a prick?_

Tony hadn't had a chance to brief his boss about the phony information on the laptop yet, but somehow, Ryan knew all about it. Of course, he'd pointed out, almost gleefully, that the bomb had escaped detection until he'd suggested sending the laptop to the lab. "Goddamn, I hate it when he's right," Tony mumbled to himself.

He dialed the phone again, and Agent Jeff Simmons answered.

"Hey Jeff - it's Tony. What were you able to find out from the Gladwells' neighbors?"

"Not much yet, Tony. We have one fairly promising lead we're working on, but it's taking some time. The 80-year old lady who lives across the street doesn't seem to have a lot to do, so she occupies herself by spying on the neighbors. She says she's seen the same guy come & go from the Gladwells' about 7 or 8 times in the last week. The lady actually took down a license plate number. Anyway - turns out the guy owns a small antique shop about 3 blocks away."

Simmons went on to report that his team had set up surveillance at the shop, but the owner hadn't shown up yet. "We also did a database search on the guy and he's shown up on a couple watch lists. We'll be bringing him in for questioning as soon as he shows up for work."

Tony nodded. "All right - let me know when you pick him up, will ya?"

"You got it."

"And order his personal IRS records as well as the records for his business. Let's get accounting started on checking to see if this antique shop is legit, or if it could possibly be a front for something else."

"Check."

_Well, maybe this will shut Chapelle up for a while,_ Tony thought.

Tony started to dial Chapelle's number to give him an update when he saw Michelle arrive. Her eyes immediately darted to his office when she walked in. They each issued a quick inconspicuous nod to each other.

Michelle got to the door just in time to hear him ending his conversation with Chapelle.

"Got a lead on the murders?" she asked.

"Possibly, Tony said, deciding to forgo discussion of Chapelle's dressing him down earlier. "Simmons will bringing a guy in for questioning later who's been seen at the Gladwell home pretty frequently in the past week or so. He's on our watch lists, so it's doubtful he was making social calls. What's up?"

"Nothing - I just wanted to see how you were."

"You mean after my mini-meltdown last night?"

Michelle laughed. "I don't think I'd go so far as to say it was a meltdown. Just a little display of emotion."

"Well, buy 'guy' standards, it was a meltdown," he said. "You were pretty quiet after we talked last night. Are you ok with things?"

"Yeah - I'm fine with it. And really Tony, I do completely understand."

"You don't think I'm being weird about the whole thing?"

She laughed again. "Weird? No. I'm actually pretty happy that you've been putting some thought into it. I mean - think about it. You were in love with the woman, and without warning, that was taken away from you in just about the cruelest way I can imagine. You didn't allow yourself to mourn that loss because that would mean acknowledging your feelings for her. And you felt guilty about that, so you've shut it out. I completely agree that you need to finally deal with it on that level before you can move on."

Tony took a moment to digest her words. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's been thinking about this, huh?"

"No. I've been thinking about it quite a bit too."

"I think you might understand the whole thing better than I do" he said, smiling at her. "You know...you're the only person I've told. That I loved her, I mean. Hell, I could barely admit it to myself, and when I think about it now, it's almost like I'm looking back on someone else's life. I'm starting to deal with it, but it's hard to think about."

Michelle shifted in her chair. "Well, that kinda brings me to something I wanted to talk about. Tony, I would do anything in my power to help you with this, but it's really up to you." She hesitated. "And honestly, I think my constant presence is a distraction for you."

Tony had no response. He didn't really like where he thought she might be going with this. "What are you thinking?"

"Well, there's a training session in D.C. that I want to attend. It's a disaster management simulator. I've been on a waiting list, and I just got word today that there's been a cancellation and I can get in."

"When?"

"Next week."

"And how long would you be gone?"

"It's a two week session."

"Two weeks," Tony repeated quietly. He hadn't gone more than a couple days without seeing her since she started at CTU. "Is this something you really want to do? I didn't know you were interested in any kind of field training."

"Yeah - I really want to do it. If I'm ever going to be anything more than an analyst, I'm going to have to start getting some field experience."

"That's true. I just didn't realize that that's the direction you wanted to go career-wise."

"So...I'll need your approval."

"Sure - of course," he said. "I'll send it in this afternoon," Tony said reluctantly. He was not at all thrilled with being an entire country away from her for 2 weeks.

Michelle sensed his apprehension. "Tony, you kinda like me, right?

He couldn't help but smile at her. "Uhh, yeah. Kinda," he understated.

She smiled back at him. "So you're thinking there's something here, right?

"Right."

"I'm thinking so too, and nothing is going to change in 2 weeks. And it'll give us both a chance to put things in perspective, ok?"

She was right, as usual. "Ok," he said.


	9. Chapter 9

Simmons' voice crackled over the intercom on Tony's desk. "The suspect is here, Tony. We've got him in the interrogation room."

"Thanks, Jeff. I'll be down in a minute."

With any luck, the suspect would be be cooperative, and they could put this case to rest in short order. Tony bounced down the stairs and asked Michelle to join him in the observation room. If she wanted to broaden her career horizons, she should probably start sitting in on things like this. She'd done a great job getting the truth out of Sayed Ali, and although he'd never say this to Michelle, Carrie had been right. She didn't really have a lot of this type of experience.

The interrogation was almost over by the time Tony & Michelle got there. Marcus Blake, the petrified antique shop owner was reluctantly giving up information.

"Jeff," Tony said into Simmons' earpiece, "Ask him about the warehouse."

The IRS reports had proven that the business was legitimate. The only problem was that when Tony sent a team over to check out what was supposed to be a warehouse full of inventory, they'd found something entirely different.

Simmons turned to his detainee. "Tell me about the warehouse space on 14th street."

The blood drained from the man's face. "The warehouse...yeah. I figured you'd get to that. For the past year I've had that space on my books as a place to store inventory. But there's no inventory there. I don't know what's there. I was paid to rent it and forget it."

"Who paid you?"

"I never knew the guy's name. I was paid in cash."

Simmons leaned into Blake's face. "Listen, Blake...this has been pretty easy for you so far, but make no mistake. I'm not someone you want to fuck with. Tell me the name, or things are going to get real ugly real fast."

"Please...he'll kill me..."

"And I'll make you beg to be killed..."

Michelle watched and wondered if she could ever convincingly say something like that to someone she was interrogating. She didn't exactly convey a threatening presence.

Before long, Simmons had the name - Hamzeh Matar - and Mr. Blake was in the CTU medical clinic. Michelle was beginning to re-evaluate her career path. She knew of the methods used to extract information from people, but had never actually seen it before. It was something she wasn't sure she could ever take part in.

Tony hadn't said a word to her during or after their observation. He wanted to give her time to process what she'd seen. Part of him wanted her to realize that the darker side of their job was something she wanted no part of. Of course, he'd support her if she made the opposite decision, but just the same...he would much rather she decide not to go there.

As Michelle left CTU for the day, she tried to put the interrogation out of her mind. It was disturbing, and she'd known it would be, but still had been unprepared for the reality of it. Forcing her mind in a different direction, she let herself get excited about the evening ahead. Tony was still at work, but they'd planned dinner later. Out. At a restaurant. So there'd be no temptation to do things they weren't ready for. As if the location would make a difference. She was tempted any time he was within her sight range. But at least in public, there was extra incentive to keep her hands to herself.

Later, as she drove over to Tony's she made the conscious decision that she didn't want to talk about what had happend at work. Not yet, anyway. _Tonight, just keep it light. _She told herself. _Don't let him know you're slightly freaked out about it. _

She was relieved when Tony opened the door with a huge grin on his face. He didn't seem to be in a heavy mood, and that suited her just fine.

"Hi!" he practically yelled while grabbing her hand and pulling her inside.

"Hi!" she giggled as she stumbled into the house.

"You're in an exceptionally good mood," she observed.

"Ohhh...being around you always puts me in a good mood," he grinned.

He leaned toward her and gave her a quick, chaste peck on the lips. Not quick and chaste enough to prevent sending what seemed like electric shocks through Michelle's entire body.

"Come on in," he said," pulling her toward the living room, "I have something for you. And by the way, I'll be driving tonight."

"Oh come on, Tony - I was just kidding about Celine Dion. I don't really blast her in the car..."

"No - it's not about Celine, although...you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that." He picked up a package from the coffee table and handed it to her. "Here. Open it."

Wide-eyed, she took it from him. "A present! For me? What is it?"

"Well, you won't know until you open it, will you?"

She wasted no time ripping the package open and pulling out the contents. "It's...a motorcycle helmet..." she said with barely convincing enthusiasm. "Am I going for a ride on a motorcycle?"

"Uh huh," he said, taking her hand again and leading her to the garage. "Are you game?"

"Tony," she began apprehensively, "I've never been on a motorcycle before. Are you sure you wouldn't prefer the comfort of a nice leather bucket seat...like I have in my car?"

"Trust me, sweetheart, this seat is _very_ comfortable. Put the helmet on! Let's go!"

His enthusiasm was so adorable, Michelle couldn't help but comply, even though she wasn't at all sure this was a good idea. She ignored the visions of her flying off the seat backwards when they'd hit a bump. Tony instructed her where to put her feet and how to lean into the turns when he did. Then he got on the bike and turned to help her on behind him.

Her reservations began to dissipate and were replaced by something altogether different once she climbed onto the seat and had Tony situated between her legs. _Well, this was certainly unexpected,_ she thought. As the bike began to move, she instinctively wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. _Oh...motorcycles are very cool..._

Arriving at the restaurant in one piece, Michelle couldn't disguise her enthusiasm. "Tony - that was so much fun!"

"I'm glad you liked it," he said, pulling her chair out for her. "I don't take the bike out as much as I used to and I just thought it'd be a nice change. And...protection from Celine."

Michelle intuitively knew that he'd also done it to keep her mind off the day's events at CTU.

Michelle watched Tony take a giant bite of his burger as she nibbled at her salad.

"MMMMmmm...best burger ever..."

She laughed. "Hey - did I ever tell you about my one amazing food talent?" she asked.

"Uhh..I know you don't like to cook...what is your amazing food talent?"

Reaching across the table and taking a french fry from his plate, she said, "I can taste a french fry and tell you what kind of potato it came from."

Tony paused mid-bite. "You can not."

"Oh, but I can," she said popping the french fry into her mouth and reaching for another. "Hmm...these are seasoned, so it could be a little tricky," she said chewing and reaching for another...

"It's kinda complicated. Russets and red-skinned potatoes are pretty similar," she said as she took a handful of fries from his plate. "They can be hard to distinguish."

"Uhhh...Michelle.."

"And Yukon Gold potatoes have a texture very similar to your Yellow Fin potatoes," she said taking a few more from his plate.

"Michelle..."

"And some of the more exotic varieties, like your Bintje potatoes have a little spicy bite to them..."

"Michelle, you can't tell what kind of potatoes these were made from, can you?"

"Nope."

"You're just eating my fries, aren't you?"

"Pretty much," she said reaching for another.

Tony laughed. "Very cute..."

"Thats one of the things I like most about you, Almeida. You're always sharing your food with me."

"Yeah - I'm very generous like that."


End file.
